NY NY - Sneha Ann Philip, 31, New York City, 10 Sep 2001

[Ozoner]

This one made me super curious. There are still people who died in 9/11 attacks that were unidentified right?

Yes, there are still over 1,000 people that are thought to have died in the 9/11 attacks who are still not identified:

‘Reopening Old Wounds’: When 9/11 Remains Are Identified, 20 Years Later (Published 2021)

The medical examiner’s office is still working painstakingly to identify 9/11 victims. There are 1,106 victims whose remains have not been found.

www.nytimes.com

It's true that there are many victims who remain unidentified, but a substantial number of them are thought to be the people from the planes and the floors where the planes hit. There were very intense fires on those floors; many people were probably incinerated.

I have not heard of any cases where someone who was known to be outside of the buildings was killed (by falling debris, etc.) but never identified. It's possible, though.

If you want to focus on probabilities, which makes sense to me, Sneha probably would have had to be inside one of the towers to have remained unidentified for this long.

We cannot actually place her in either of the towers. We know that she did not go home on 9/10, and no one has come forward to say that he or she was with Sneha that night.

Sneha's medical career, which she had never actually wanted, was basically over, and Sneha had been charged with a crime. Her interest in her husband may have been waning. There is no clear evidence that she disappeared voluntarily, but she certainly fits the profile of someone who may have been motivated to run away.

All possibilities are still on the table, but I lean towards a voluntary disappearance with help.

 

[Sonny Crockett]

It's true that there are many victims who remain unidentified, but a substantial number of them are thought to be the people from the planes and the floors where the planes hit. There were very intense fires on those floors; many people were probably incinerated.

If you want to focus on probabilities, which makes sense to me, Sneha probably would have had to be inside one of the towers to have remained unidentified for this long.

We cannot actually place her in either of the towers. We know that she did not go home on 9/10, and no one has come forward to say that he or she was with Sneha that night.

Sneha's medical career, which she had never actually wanted, was basically over, and Sneha had been charged with a crime. Her interest in her husband may have been waning. There is no clear evidence that she disappeared voluntarily, but she certainly fits the profile of someone who may have been motivated to run away.

All possibilities are still on the table, but I lean towards a voluntary disappearance with help.

Good points. However, re: the people on the planes who were killed & not identified, it should be obvious that they definitively died on the planes due to there being a record of their boarding the planes (not just a record of their buying the ticket(s) ). Even back in 2001, I suspect that the airlines were automated enough to know who exactly boarded each plane (re: their boarding pass), even if something happened to the plane itself. Now, if someone is lying about their identity and checks into a plane using a false name, etc. - that's a completely different situation.

Re: SP, if she didn't die as a result of the 9/11 attacks (which I don't believe), then why hasn't she turned up in in all this time?! Even someone who is actively trying to disappear would have a tough time successfully doing this - especially after 9/11. Yes - I can see someone getting away with this for a while, but 21 years?! Sure, it's possible - but I don't see it as being probable.

However, to explore that possibility - maybe she did leave the city on or around 9/11 (under a false name, possibly) to get away from her life/situation, and then died subsequently - unrelated to 9/11. Which would explain why she's never turned up.

 

[GatorFL]

It's true that there are many victims who remain unidentified, but a substantial number of them are thought to be the people from the planes and the floors where the planes hit. There were very intense fires on those floors; many people were probably incinerated.

I have not heard of any cases where someone who was known to be outside of the buildings was killed (by falling debris, etc.) but never identified. It's possible, though.

If you want to focus on probabilities, which makes sense to me, Sneha probably would have had to be inside one of the towers to have remained unidentified for this long.

We cannot actually place her in either of the towers. We know that she did not go home on 9/10, and no one has come forward to say that he or she was with Sneha that night.

Sneha's medical career, which she had never actually wanted, was basically over, and Sneha had been charged with a crime. Her interest in her husband may have been waning. There is no clear evidence that she disappeared voluntarily, but she certainly fits the profile of someone who may have been motivated to run away.

All possibilities are still on the table, but I lean towards a voluntary disappearance with help.

BBM. <modsnip> In fact, residents and doctors are given tremendous leeway with their careers. There are numerous rehab programs that allow them to continue practicing after relatively minor transgressions like those Sneha was accused of. Why? There are too few medical doctors.

Sure, she had done some stupid stuff. Perhaps the worst was having her Cabrini contract non renewed because of tardiness and substance abuse allegations but as we know, she was able to get another contract at St. Vincents'. She also had tremendous incentives and advantages towards completing her internship since her husband was also an intern and her father was a doctor. Even if it didn't work out at St. Vincents' she would have found a place to complete her internship. She would have known all of this. There was nothing on her plate that she could not overcome.

I don't put a lot of stock in a voluntary disappearance especially 20 years later because she certainly would have turned up by now. She's no Lori Erica Ruff who was able to change her name a couple of times. She was also extremely close to her extended family and we know they have never heard from her since her disappearance.

 

[DHT1339]

i lean more towards that she was met with foul play either on the night of 9/10 or the early morning hours of 9/11. always been suspicious of her brother being involved given how he was lying about her whereabouts right off the bat. i also don't think the woman in the security footage from the apartment building is her

but if it is her, then it's safe to say she died during the attacks. most likely inside one of the towers

 

[Ozoner]

BBM. <modsnip> In fact, residents and doctors are given tremendous leeway with their careers. There are numerous rehab programs that allow them to continue practicing after relatively minor transgressions like those Sneha was accused of. Why? There are too few medical doctors.

Sure, she had done some stupid stuff. Perhaps the worst was having her Cabrini contract non renewed because of tardiness and substance abuse allegations but as we know, she was able to get another contract at St. Vincents'. She also had tremendous incentives and advantages towards completing her internship since her husband was also an intern and her father was a doctor. Even if it didn't work out at St. Vincents' she would have found a place to complete her internship. She would have known all of this. There was nothing on her plate that she could not overcome.

I don't put a lot of stock in a voluntary disappearance especially 20 years later because she certainly would have turned up by now. She's no Lori Erica Ruff who was able to change her name a couple of times. She was also extremely close to her extended family and we know they have never heard from her since her disappearance.

She didn't just have transgressions related to substance abuse and tardiness. She had been charged with false reporting of an incident. She had appeared in court on the morning of the 10th; that had to be a major stressor. When someone disappears immediately after a court appearance, I can't help but consider the possibility of flight from prosecution. I doubt that she would have gotten any jail time—she probably could have plead guilty to a lesser offense and gotten probation—but the situation might have been overwhelming.

As far as whether her career was over, perhaps the more important point is that she never seemed to want that career in the first place.

We also don't know that no one in her extended family has heard from her. Someone could be helping her remain off the grid. In one case that was solved a few years ago, it turned out that a girl named Anita Drake who had been missing for decades had run away in order to escape sexual abuse. She had since died of natural causes, but she had lived under an assumed identity for many years. It turned out that her sister had known all along and had kept her secret.

 

[Ozoner]

Good points. However, re: the people on the planes who were killed & not identified, it should be obvious that they definitively died on the planes due to there being a record of their boarding the planes (not just a record of their buying the ticket(s) ).

Snipped.

Yes, we know who the people on the planes were; their names are listed on the 9/11 memorial. However, they are among the 1,100 or so victims listed as unidentified because their remains have not been identified. It isn't as if there are 1,100 victims whose identities are a complete mystery.

 

[GatorFL]

Snipped.

Yes, we know who the people on the planes were; their names are listed on the 9/11 memorial. However, they are among the 1,100 or so victims listed as unidentified because their remains have not been identified. It isn't as if there are 1,100 victims whose identities are a complete mystery.

Sneha's name is on all the memorials as well.

 

[GatorFL]

She didn't just have transgressions related to substance abuse and tardiness. She had been charged with false reporting of an incident. She had appeared in court on the morning of the 10th; that had to be a major stressor. When someone disappears immediately after a court appearance, I can't help but consider the possibility of flight from prosecution. I doubt that she would have gotten any jail time—she probably could have plead guilty to a lesser offense and gotten probation—but the situation might have been overwhelming.

As far as whether her career was over, perhaps the more important point is that she never seemed to want that career in the first place.

We also don't know that no one in her extended family has heard from her. Someone could be helping her remain off the grid. In one case that was solved a few years ago, it turned out that a girl named Anita Drake who had been missing for decades had run away in order to escape sexual abuse. She had since died of natural causes, but she had lived under an assumed identity for many years. It turned out that her sister had known all along and had kept her secret.

A relatively minor charge that would not have prevented her from a career in medicine, probably even more trivial than her non renewal and her suspension at St Vincent's.

It's been said she didn't want a career in medicine but in 2001 there were so many other paths she could have successfully pursed with her MD. She could have went into informatics, Pharma, insurance, forensics and much more. And yet she applied for and received her second residency. I think this was idle chatter from her friend group. Her actions said one thing and her friends said another. Her family certainly thought she wanted to complete her residency.

I think the odds are that if she disappeared she would have been discovered by now. The family, especially Ron, spent a lot of money getting her declared a 9/11 victim. Why do that if she was living elsewhere?

 

[DHT1339]

i'm not sure how easy it is to run away and completely start from scratch with a new identity and life somewhere else, but the way the family worked so hard to make sure she was declared a victim of the attacks makes me think they weren't really surprised that she had disappeared or even died because her lifestyle and other things going on in her life at the time

the attacks gave the family a chance to rewrite her story and they might have done just that

 

[citizen_sleuth]

A relatively minor charge that would not have prevented her from a career in medicine, probably even more trivial than her non renewal and her suspension at St Vincent's.

It's been said she didn't want a career in medicine but in 2001 there were so many other paths she could have successfully pursed with her MD. She could have went into informatics, Pharma, insurance, forensics and much more. And yet she applied for and received her second residency. I think this was idle chatter from her friend group. Her actions said one thing and her friends said another. Her family certainly thought she wanted to complete her residency.

I think the odds are that if she disappeared she would have been discovered by now. The family, especially Ron, spent a lot of money getting her declared a 9/11 victim. Why do that if she was living elsewhere?

I think because having her declared as a 9/11 victim would mean they could sweep all the accusations/rumors of her being interested in women under the rug. My partner is from India and same-sex attraction and relationships are commonly looked down upon by more traditional parents and seen as a stain on the family’s honor. While I am split on whether or not Sneha actually died in the 9/11 attacks, I definitely think the family’s steadfast insistence that she died during the attacks is at least in part motivated by a desire to control the narrative. MOO.

 

[Ozoner]

I think the odds are that if she disappeared she would have been discovered by now. The family, especially Ron, spent a lot of money getting her declared a 9/11 victim. Why do that if she was living elsewhere?

Snipped.

If Sneha is living elsewhere under an assumed name, we don't know which of her family members might know, if any of them do. I do not think that she would have told her brother or her parents. If there was a non-judgmental family member that she was particularly close to, then she might have told that person and sworn him or her to secrecy.

As for whether she would have been discovered, that would depend on where she went and how careful she was about selecting a new identity. It would be very difficult to pull of such a disappearance now because identity security has become much tighter during the past twenty years, due in part to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It took time to get all of that security in place, though. If Sneha had help from someone with enough money and the right connections, she could have gotten documents for a new identity that would not have been questioned.

To give you an idea of how lax things used to be, I lost my driver's license once back in the late 90s, and all I had to do to get a new one was show the Michigan Secretary of State a utility bill with my name and address on it. I could have shown them a utility bill with someone else's name and address and gotten a bogus license that would not have been questioned.

As for social security numbers, the only real issue would be finding one that was active but not in use. A social security number that belonged to someone who had died would have worked provided the person's death benefit had not been claimed. I don't know about now, but back in 2001 the only way that the Social Security Administration would have known that someone had died would have been if someone had sent in a death certificate in order to claim the death benefit. The death benefit is small and often goes unclaimed. Or, Sneha could have gotten fake papers from India and applied for resident alien status and later citizenship under a new name as if she were entering the country for the first time. If she did that, she would have been able to get a brand new social security number.

I would have been very difficult for Sneha to have pulled off a voluntary disappearance even a few years later, say in 2004, but in 2001 I think that she could have pulled it off if she had help.

 

[GatorFL]

Snipped.

If Sneha is living elsewhere under an assumed name, we don't know which of her family members might know, if any of them do. I do not think that she would have told her brother or her parents. If there was a non-judgmental family member that she was particularly close to, then she might have told that person and sworn him or her to secrecy.

As for whether she would have been discovered, that would depend on where she went and how careful she was about selecting a new identity. It would be very difficult to pull of such a disappearance now because identity security has become much tighter during the past twenty years, due in part to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It took time to get all of that security in place, though. If Sneha had help from someone with enough money and the right connections, she could have gotten documents for a new identity that would not have been questioned.

To give you an idea of how lax things used to be, I lost my driver's license once back in the late 90s, and all I had to do to get a new one was show the Michigan Secretary of State a utility bill with my name and address on it. I could have shown them a utility bill with someone else's name and address and gotten a bogus license that would not have been questioned.

As for social security numbers, the only real issue would be finding one that was active but not in use. A social security number that belonged to someone who had died would have worked provided the person's death benefit had not been claimed. I don't know about now, but back in 2001 the only way that the Social Security Administration would have known that someone had died would have been if someone had sent in a death certificate in order to claim the death benefit. The death benefit is small and often goes unclaimed. Or, Sneha could have gotten fake papers from India and applied for resident alien status and later citizenship under a new name as if she were entering the country for the first time. If she did that, she would have been able to get a brand new social security number.

I would have been very difficult for Sneha to have pulled off a voluntary disappearance even a few years later, say in 2004, but in 2001 I think that she could have pulled it off if she had help.

Ron's PI went through everything and did not see one bit of evidence she had been planning to run off. So if she did, it was with considerable help from someone she did not email or call.

 

[Ozoner]

Ron's PI went through everything and did not see one bit of evidence she had been planning to run off. So if she did, it was with considerable help from someone she did not email or call.

I agree; communication with the person would have been face to face and her disappearance might not have been planned prior to her court appearance. I believe that that would have been the likely catalyst. The 9/11 attacks were likely a coincidence. (Sneha did not have a cell phone, so there would not have been any cell phone records for the PI to check.)

 

[GatorFL]

You may be correct, but if you have a link to a reliable source for this, it would be helpful. Most of the reports that I've read state that she didn't have one. It's a minor detail, but I like to keep the facts straight.

(She may have also had a (second) phone unbeknownst to Ron and her family members. If she was leading a double life, that might even be likely.)

Here is an article written by a friend and in it she remarks Ron went through her phone: A TRAGEDY WITHIN A TRAGEDY: MAN’S WIFE WAS LAST SEEN ON SEPT. 10 NEAR THE WORLD TRADE CENTER – Natalie Pompilio

<modsnip - no links to statements made as fact>

And finally, how many US professional class citizens did not have cell phones in 2001? Extremely few.

 

[GatorFL]

The following is just my opinion.

This is one case where media sources cannibalized each other extensively leading to certain pieces of disinformation being treated as gospel. Sneha not having a cell phone, despite numerous other pieces of contemporaneous reporting that she indeed had one, is one such piece of disinformation. I think this all started with the famous New York article from 2006: The Mystery of Sneha Philip, the Possible 2,750th Victim of 9/11 -- New York Magazine - Nymag.

Another is the girl she was supposedly shopping with at Century 21. The clerk said she remembered Sneha shopping with another Indian girl, and so now people think that was whom she was with the night of the 10th. But in the C21 videos, she's alone. Remember, the clerk was reciting something that happened the evening before the most disruptive tragedy ever in Manhattan. But, now she was shopping with somebody, 100%. We know from credit card time stamps she was in C21 over an hour but no video evidence she was shopping with a companion, despite there being video evidence of Sneha shopping alone.

Finally we have the lobby apartment video that has never been publicized but many people remember seeing it. Mandela effect. Your memory of 9/11 is probably wrong

There are more pieces of disinformation that persist in this mystery today. My advice is to read everything closely.

 

[Ozoner]

And finally, how many US professional class citizens did not have cell phones in 2001? Extremely few.

Snipped.

What do you mean by professional class? I was employed as an engineer at that time, and I did not get my first cell phone until the summer of 2002. (Many of us viewed cell phones as leashes; we didn't want management to be able to reach us outside of business hours.)

 

[Ozoner]

There are more pieces of disinformation that persist in this mystery today. My advice is to read everything closely.

Snipped.

That happens with most news stories, so I don't doubt it. However, there are some facts that can't be ignored.

1) Sneha cannot be placed in or near the Twin Towers on 9/11.
2) Sneha spent the night somewhere other than her own home on 9/10, and we do not know where.
3) No one has come forward and acknowledged being in the company of Sneha on 9/10.
4) Sneha had several bags of new purchases with her on 9/10, including bed linens and lingerie, and those items have never surfaced.

I think that it is possible to draw some conclusions from what we know.

First, the Century 21 store was not far from Sneha's apartment. If the linens and lingerie were meant to be used at home, it would have been easy for her to drop them off there even if she had plans for the evening. We can conclude that they were meant to be used elsewhere.

Second, despite the allegations that Sneha sometimes went home from bars with strangers, it stands to reason that she did not plan to do so on 9/10. It would not have made sense for her to buy bed linens and take them with her to a bar in case she met a stranger. It stands to reason that she had an evening planned with someone.

I have not heard any arguments that convince me that Sneha died in the terrorist attacks; I do not see any evidence that makes that scenario any more likely than the other possible scenarios. If I were to judge the case strictly from the facts on paper, I might consider foul play on the night of 9/10 the strongest possibility. However, when I take into account the impression that I have of Sneha's personality, I fall solidly in the voluntary disappearance camp.

Don't forget, Manhattan is one of the wealthiest areas in the world. There are plenty of people in Manhattan who would have had the wherewithal to help Sneha stage a disappearance.

Finally we have the lobby apartment video that has never been publicized but many people remember seeing it. Mandela effect.

I have never heard anyone say that he or she remembers seeing the video. I wish that law enforcement would release it so that people could decide for themselves whether Sneha is the woman in the video. If the woman was someone else, maybe that woman would come forward and identify herself. It doesn't seem like it would hurt anything to release the video.

Another question I have is, if Ron went through Sneha's cell phone, where was the phone? Why didn't Sneha have it with her? That suggests to me that she could have had a second, secret phone that she used to communicate with whomever she planned to see on the evening of September 10th.

 

[GatorFL]

Snipped.

That happens with most news stories, so I don't doubt it. However, there are some facts that can't be ignored.

1) Sneha cannot be placed in or near the Twin Towers on 9/11.
2) Sneha spent the night somewhere other than her own home on 9/10, and we do not know where.
3) No one has come forward and acknowledged being in the company of Sneha on 9/10.
4) Sneha had several bags of new purchases with her on 9/10, including bed linens and lingerie, and those items have never surfaced.

I think that it is possible to draw some conclusions from what we know.

First, the Century 21 store was not far from Sneha's apartment. If the linens and lingerie were meant to be used at home, it would have been easy for her to drop them off there even if she had plans for the evening. We can conclude that they were meant to be used elsewhere.

Second, despite the allegations that Sneha sometimes went home from bars with strangers, it stands to reason that she did not plan to do so on 9/10. It would not have made sense for her to buy bed linens and take them with her to a bar in case she met a stranger. It stands to reason that she had an evening planned with someone.

I have not heard any arguments that convince me that Sneha died in the terrorist attacks; I do not see any evidence that makes that scenario any more likely than the other possible scenarios. If I were to judge the case strictly from the facts on paper, I might consider foul play on the night of 9/10 the strongest possibility. However, when I take into account the impression that I have of Sneha's personality, I fall solidly in the voluntary disappearance camp.

Don't forget, Manhattan is one of the wealthiest areas in the world. There are plenty of people in Manhattan who would have had the wherewithal to help Sneha stage a disappearance.



I have never heard anyone say that he or she remembers seeing the video. I wish that law enforcement would release it so that people could decide for themselves whether Sneha is the woman in the video. If the woman was someone else, maybe that woman would come forward and identify herself. It doesn't seem like it would hurt anything to release the video.

Another question I have is, if Ron went through Sneha's cell phone, where was the phone? Why didn't Sneha have it with her? That suggests to me that she could have had a second, secret phone that she used to communicate with whomever she planned to see on the evening of September 10th.

JMO, It's a mystery that will never be solved unless a piece of her is identified via DNA from the 9/11 debris. I personally think she was an elevator victim which also matches the facts:

1. She told her mom she was checking out WOTW
2. It was open and accessible despite the Risk Waters conference. In fact some well known public officials were the last ones out: Last Elevator Down
3. It fits the findings of the court, that she died in the attacks

BTW Jon Walczak the podcaster attempted to get the missing lobby footage from NYPD. He was shown an image, but not the whole video. I've stated publicly elsewhere I would pay for the NY Court file if somebody local would obtain it. Not sure the video is in there. But I think there could be a lot of good info in the court file.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

JMO, It's a mystery that will never be solved unless a piece of her is identified via DNA from the 9/11 debris. I personally think she was an elevator victim which also matches the facts:

1. She told her mom she was checking out WOTW
2. It was open and accessible despite the Risk Waters conference. In fact some well known public officials were the last ones out: Last Elevator Down
3. It fits the findings of the court, that she died in the attacks

BTW Jon Walczak the podcaster attempted to get the missing lobby footage from NYPD. He was shown an image, but not the whole video. I've stated publicly elsewhere I would pay for the NY Court file if somebody local would obtain it. Not sure the video is in there. But I think there could be a lot of good info in the court file.

I live in NYC and would be interested in trying to get my hands on the file. I’m assuming it would be in the possession of the NYPD.

 

[branmuffin]

Snipped.

What do you mean by professional class? I was employed as an engineer at that time, and I did not get my first cell phone until the summer of 2002. (Many of us viewed cell phones as leashes; we didn't want management to be able to reach us outside of business hours.)

I got my first phone late in 1995. It was a Nokia, I remember. I traveled a lot for my work so I needed a phone when they became more mainstream. That being said, there were a lot of people who you thought would have a phone back then but used pagers instead. A pager was not only convenient but also probably more reliable for those in the medical profession like Sneha . The range of a pager isn't much more than two miles. I presume that SP lived within that 2 mile radius of the WTC and her job and actually had a pager. When I had that phone I would travel through large areas where there was no service. So I wonder when people say Sneha had a cell phone they might be referring to a pager.

I don't know whether Sneha was at the WTC because she was running toward danger but there is a good possibility she was going to go there for breakfast based on what she told her mom. There were 198 elevators in the WTC; express elevators that could carry 55 people. So it's not beyond the realm of possibility that Sneha was on one of those elevators going to WOTW when the planes hit. She could have been with someone along with many other people who were unfortunate to be on those elevators when the planes struck. I always wondered how many tourists, especially single travellers were in the towers on 9/11 who have never been heard from again.

One of the interesting things I read about 9/11 is that many of the people who had worked there when the WTC was bombed in 1993 left immediately when the first plane hit. They'd already gone through the terror of the first attack and found out first hand what can happen if you stuck around. One survivor Dharam Pal said if he hadn't experienced the 1993 bombing he may have decided to stay put based on the established policy of evacuating the floor with the fire and two floors above and below that floor.

https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/News-and-Research/Publications-and-media/NFPA-Journal/journal0902humanfactor.ashx